5 Ways Apple’s iPad Can Help You as a Contractor

As the resident geek at DiggersList, I was excited a month ago when Apple announced it was going to be introducing a new revolutionary product by the end of January. My friends, it is here:

Introducing Apple’s new iPad. For those of you who are wondering what this means – or why you should care – as a contractor…the team at DiggersList has compiled a list of the top 5 ways we think contractors can take advantage of this new technology!

1. In the field sketching / note-taking: Sketching out plans, dimensions and equations on the fly is an integral part of the construction process. For this, the iPad opens up a whole new world of possibilities for accuracy, convenience and organization. This tablet can make sketching a plan out as easy as touching the screen and drawing with your finger. Need a calculator? Flip on over to the calculator application. Need to jot a few notes? Flip on over to the notepad application. Then, when you are done – just click save, and move on with your day. There will most likely be tons of applications that you can download that might make the process even easier. Sweet!
2. Portable credentials: How many times have you been bidding on a job and been asked to show some credentials? The iPad could easily turn into your on-the-road filing cabinet. Keep important documents like your certificate of liability, bond, license(s), worker’s comp – basically anything that you might need when out in the field or bidding on a project, all in one spot.
3. Mobile Professional Portfolio: Nowadays, people want proof of how good you are. They want to see photos, videos, maybe even testimonials of past customers. What better way to showcase yourself than with your iPad? Show customers slideshows of your work, your website (or your DiggersList profile, wink), videos … get creative! Apple is renowned for it’s products’ abilities to create cool looking presentations, so take advantage of it and get some more jobs!
4. Digital blueprints: Many contractors have gotten into the habit of bringing their laptops on the job to reference digital blueprints and plans. Well laptops, the iPad has just one-upped you. Already with Apple’s smaller touch interfaces, you can zoom in to minute details, rotate images, even edit on the spot – all with your fingers. And it’s fast! We can only imagine the cool new ways that a larger screen will allow you to interact with and share your plans on the job site. Paper is indeed a thing of the past.
5. Work radio: Yes, this is an easy one – but if you’ve worked a long job before you know how important it can be. The iPad tablet will have tons of media options. Listen to your entire library of music or browse to an online radio station. Even download free applications like Pandora (check it out: http://www.pandora.com/), and create your own radio stations! The possibilities are truly endless. On a lunch break? Surf to hulu.com and check out the latest Family Guy while you chew your pizza.

Needless to say, DiggersList is super excited about the iPad. Aside from a semi-goofy name, we think this hi-tech badboy has a lot of potential in the construction world.

Can’t wait for it to be released! Check out the official Apple iPad videos.

Johnnie Munger, CTO and Co-Founder is the CEO of DiggersList, an online construction classifieds that helps contractors, home owners and do-it-yourselfers save money, find jobs and complete projects. This post originally appeared on the DiggersList blog.